Dark Fantasy
Explore the darker side of Fantasy with these tales of evil & the macabre.
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, blissful rounds of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied. There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the House shows it's darker face – when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows – that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy. Also try Imajica.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A carnival comes to a small Midwestern town in the dead of night, as Halloween approaches. But this is no ordinary carnival; Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, and will destroy the life of everyone who enters this strange and sinister show. Jim and Will are two friends – one adventurous and one reserved – on the cusp of becoming men, who must try to stop Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger from luring everyone to succumb to the call of promised dreams and recaptured youth. Also try The October Country.
Warrior and Witch by Marie Brennan
In Brennan's thoroughly imagined world of witches and warriors, when a witch is born, a doppelganger is, too; they share one soul but are raised separately. The longstanding practice is that when the witch comes of age and must master her powers, the doppelganger must be killed. So it was, until Mirei. Born as Miryo the witch and Mirage the Hunter, she was the first to recognize her other half and merge the two selves back into one person.
Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks
In Hopewell, Illinois, 14-year-old Nest Freemark defends the town's parkland against encroaching "feeders" with the magic she inherited from her mysteriously dead mother and her Gran, with whom she lives. Nest's helpers are Pick, a tiny 150-year-old sylvan, Daniel the owl and the eerie, wolflike Wraith. As July 4th approaches, a demon arrives in town, as does John Ross, Knight of the Word. Nest is the key to the looming good vs. evil showdown, but wonders why nobody will tell her the truth about her missing parents, or what's really going on in the park. This trilogy continues with Knight of the Word and Angel Fire East. Brooks also bridges this series and his long-running Shannara series with Armageddon’s Children.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
A nation born of angels, vast, intricate and surrounded by danger... A woman born to servitude, unknowingly given access to the secrets of the realm... A plot borne of evil, too cunning to be fathomed, too deadly to be known... Sold into servitude in the sumptuous and exotic Night Court as a child, Phèdre nó Delaunay is a woman who struggles for honor and duty, whose loyalty to the land she loves will take her to the edge of despair—and then beyond. The Kushiel’s Legacy series continues with Kushiel’s Chosen.
Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection. The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire – and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay. The Cassie Palmer series continues with Claimed by Shadow.
The Nameless Day by Sara Douglass
In 1348, the black plague sweeps across Europe, decimating its population and putting an end to a biannual sacred ritual that sent the demons that walked the earth back to their home in hell. Thirty years later, Father Thomas Neville takes up the burden of ridding the world of the evil that has run amok since the last opening of the Cleft. A powerful blend of History and Fantasy, Douglass’ Crucible Series continues with The Wounded Hawk.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Richard Mayhew's life is forever changed after he rescues a young girl named Door and finds himself living in a city of monsters, saints, murderers and angels. He must help Door on her mission to save this strange underworld kingdom from destruction. Also try Gaiman's Hugo Award-winning novel American Gods.
A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton
Meredith Gentry (“Merry” to her friends) is not only part-fey, but she is a Princess, and she is hiding out from her aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, by working for a detective agency in Los Angeles; however, a case comes across her desk that ends up revealing her to the Fey world, and she must face the woman she fears. Although her aunt is as terrible as we are led to believe, she actually has different plans for Merry than we expect, and Merry begins a quest to become pregnant in order to inherit the throne. The Meredith Gentry series continues with A Caress of Twilight. Fans of this series by Hamilton will also enjoy her Anita Blake series about a “Buffy-esque” vampire hunter and begins with Guilty Pleasures.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Born as one of the Hidden, a pacifistic group opposed to any sort of violence, Takeo meets brutality head-on when a local warlord destroys his villages and murders his family. Rescued by a rival warlord, Takeo becomes the adopted son of Lord Shigeru and learns of his true heritage as one of the Tribe, a clan of assassins with supernatural powers. When his adopted father becomes the victim of treachery, Takeo faces a choice between loyalty to his past and to his new and perilous future. The Tales of the Otori Series continues with Grass for His Pillow.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Young Fitz is a bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the court of the Six Duchies by his father's gruff stableman. He is ignored by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill – and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. The Farseer Trilogy continues with Royal Assassin and Assassin’s Quest.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
This first volume in The Dark Tower series introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest. The series sees Roland and his fellow travelers continuing the quest for the Dark Tower. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman. The Dark Tower series continues with The Drawing of the Three.
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
Twelve-year-old Cory Mackenson is assisting his father, Tom, with predawn milk deliveries when a car shoots across the road and plunges into "bottomless" Lake Saxon. Diving to the rescue, Tom finds a nude, beaten and strangled corpse handcuffed to the steering wheel of the sinking car. Cory glimpses a sinister figure watching from the edge of the woods but discovers only an odd green feather at the spot. The ensuing search for the killer proves to be a rite of passage for both Cory and his father. Also try Swan Song.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Sunshine's mundane existence as the head baker at Charlie's Coffeehouse takes an unexpected turn when she drives to her grandmother's secluded summer camp. While taking in the scenic view, she is attacked by a gang of vampires and brought to an abandoned mansion on the far side of the lake. They dress her in a blood-red gown and shackle her to a wall. In the semi-darkness of the moonlit room, she realizes that a vampire is shackled next to her. After some tense moments, the two begin to talk and quickly conclude that if they don't help each other escape, they're both as good as dead.